This Is How Much Boardwalk Vendors Are Inflating the Cost of Iconic Foods

$8 for a hot dog?! You can buy a pack of hot dogs and rolls for $5.

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One of the best parts of any beach trip is the boardwalk. You walk by dozens of arcades, t-shirt shops and, of course, the restaurants and food stands. As you pull out your wallet to hand them a $5 bill for a hot dog (and hoping to get change back), you discover that you actually need another three dollars for your hot dog with ketchup and relish. Does a hot dog really cost that much? And how much money should you actually be spending on the boardwalk for these iconic boardwalk eats?

Italian Sausage

Photo courtesy of @foodieoutloud on Instagram

How much you pay: $8-$11

How much you should actually pay: $2

Italian sausage is a staple for any Jersey Shore boardwalk. It is a grilled or roasted sausage topped with sautéed peppers and onions on a roll. You can buy Italian sausages at your local market for an average price of $5, and they come in packages of 5-6 sausages. An onion and green bell pepper sum up to $3. And a bag of hot dog rolls is another $3. With this grocery trip, you can make enough Italian sausages for your entire family by just spending over a little $10.

Funnel Cake

Photo courtesy of @ritchiesflip on Instagram

How much you pay: $5-$12 (if you add ice cream and toppings)

How much you should actually pay: 25 cents (a few extra cents for ice cream)

Funnel cake is a classic, traditional, all-time favorite for anyone who has been to an amusement park, boardwalk, or fancy ice cream shop. It is named funnel cake because of the funnel used to create the swirly pattern when the dough is fried.

The ingredients that you need to make this fried beauty are probably already in your kitchen: eggs, sugar, milk, flour, salt, baking powder, and oil. These kitchen essentials total up to $10 and allows you to make endless funnel cakes.

Hot Dog

Photo courtesy of @creative_dinners on Instagram

How much you pay: $6-$8

How much you should actually pay: 63 cents

Hot dawg. A Hot dog is an essential menu item for ballparks, amusements parks and of course, the boardwalk. Now let’s get to it. We all know that a pack of hot dogs (8 weiners) can cost as little as $2 and a bag of rolls for $3. From $5 we can make eight hot dogs. Eight smokin’ hot wieners for five American smackeroos.

Deep Fried Oreos

Photo courtesy of @sir_unordinary on Instagram

How much you pay: 3 for $5 ($1.70 for one)

How much you should actually pay: 20 cents per fried Oreo

Deep fried Oreos are a go-to item for anyone who like Oreos and fried food. They are simply Oreos dipped in batter and fried until golden brown. A pack of Oreos (36 cookies) can be as cheap as $2 at your local grocery. The batter consists of egg, milk, and flour, which can add up to only $5.

At the end of the day, when you’re sunburnt, tired, and full, it is the experience and atmosphere that you have paid for. Sure, you only have some change left in your pocket, but you can’t get the same food nor make the same food anywhere else but the boardwalk.